Lagerstroemia plant named &#39;PIILAG-VIII&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Lagerstroemia  plant named ‘PIILAG-VIII’, characterized by its compact, upright, intermediate growth habit, dark burgundy foliage that is planar, numerous large pink inflorescenes, resistance to powdery mildew and  Cercospora  leaf spot, and increase cold hardiness.

GENUS AND SPECIES OF PLANT CLAIMED

Lagerstroemia sp. hybrid

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘PIILAG-VIII’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Lagerstroemia plant, botanically known as Lagerstroemia hybrid×L. ‘Chocolate Mocha’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,540), commonly known as crapemyrtle, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘PIILAG-VIII’. ‘PIILAG-VIII’ is grown primarily as an ornamental for landscape use.

‘PIILAG-VIII’ originated from open-pollinated seed of Lagerstroemia hybrid×L. ‘Chocolate Mocha’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,540) growing in Watkinsville, Ga. The cultivar ‘PIILAG-VIII’ originated in 2010 and was selected in a cultivated environment in Watkinsville, Ga. from the progeny of this open-pollination by continued evaluation for growth habit, foliage, flower, disease, and cold hardiness characteristics.

Asexual reproduction of ‘PIILAG-VIII’ by stem cuttings in Watkinsville, Ga. since 2011 has shown that all the unique features of this new Lagerstroemia, as herein described, are stable and reproduced true-to-type through successive generations of such asexual propagation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new cultivar ‘PIILAG-VIII’ have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with changes in light, temperature, soil and rainfall without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be unique characteristics of ‘PIILAG-VIII’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘PIILAG-VIII’ as a new and distinct cultivar: 1. Compact and tight, upright, intermediate growth habit; 2. Dark burgundy planar foliage in the summer; 3. Large rich pink flowers; 4. High resistance to powdery mildew and Cercospora leaf spot; 5. Increased cold hardiness.

Plants of ‘PIILAG-VIII’ differ from plants of the parent, Lagerstroemia hybrid×L. ‘Chocolate Mocha’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,540), primarily in flower color, size, and abundance, color and shape of the foliage, and growth habit. Plants of Lagerstroemia hybrid×L. ‘Chocolate Mocha’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,540) have pink flowers smaller in size and number of inflorescences, cupped foliage, green-purple summer leaf color, and an upright growth habit, where as plants of ‘PIILAG-VIII’ have larger richer pink blooms and more numerous inflorescences, the foliage is flatter, and the growth habit more upright and rigid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying color photographs illustrate the flower and foliage characteristics and the overall appearance of ‘PIILAG-VIII’, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in color reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describes the colors of the new Lagerstroemia.

FIG. 1 illustrates the overall appearance of an established plant of a four-year-old ‘PIILAG-VIII’ planted in the ground.

FIG. 2 illustrates a close-up view of the flower of a four-year-old ‘PIILAG-VIII’ plant.

FIG. 3 illustrates a close up view of the foliage of a four-year-old ‘PIILAG-VIII’ plant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants used for the description were approximately two-years-old and were grown in 11.8 L containers under outdoor conditions in Watkinsville, Ga. Colors are described using The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart (R.H.S.).

-   Botanical classification: Lagerstroemia L., cultivar ‘PIILAG-VIII’.     Parentage: Female, or seed, parent: Lagerstroemia hybrid×L.     ‘Chocolate Mocha’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,540) Male, or pollen     parent: unknown (open-pollinated). Propagation: terminal cuttings.     Time to initiate roots, summer: about 21 days at 32° C. -   Plant description: Flowering shrub; compact, upright, intermediate     growth habit. Freely branching; lateral branches abundant without     pruning, resulting in fine-textured, dense habit.     -   -   Root description.—numerous, fine, fibrous and well-branched.         -   Plant size.—the original plant, now about four-years-old in             the ground, is about 274 cm high from the soil level to the             top of the uppermost inflorescences and about 188 cm wide.             First year stems have a diameter of about 2.5 mm. First year             stems have a length of 30 cm to 46 cm. Shape: squarish.             Second year and older stems have a diameter of about 5 mm or             more. Second year stems have a length of 61 cm to 91 cm.             Shape: round.         -   Trunk diameter.—3 cm at the soil line. Color: 199B.         -   Internode length.—about 1.2 cm.         -   Strength.—flexible when young, easily broken once mature.         -   First year stem color (young).—183A. Color (woody): N199C.         -   Second year and older stem color.—N199C.         -   Bark.—minor exfoliation in strips beginning on second or             third year stems. -   Vegetative buds: Sub-opposite to alternate in arrangement,     imbricate, conical, with no pubescence. Color: 183A. Size: about 2.5     mm in length and 1 mm in width. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—sub-opposite to alternate, simple. Length:             about 4.2 cm. Width: about 2.5 cm. Shape: elliptical to             ovate. Apex: acuminate. Base: cuneate. Margin: entire.         -   Texture, upper surface.—matte with small amount of             pubescence; lower surface: glossy.         -   Venation pattern.—pinnate. Venation color of emerging             foliage (upper and lower surfaces): 183A. Venation color of             fully expanded foliage (upper and lower surfaces): 183A.         -   Color in developing foliage (upper surface).—N186C. Color in             developing foliage (lower surface): N186C. Color in fully             expanded foliage (upper surface): N37B. Color in fully             expanded foliage (lower surface): N186C.         -   Petiole length.—about 2 mm. Petiole diameter: about 1 mm.             Petiole color (upper and lower surfaces): 183A. Pubescence:             none. -   Flower description: Flowers are produced from about June to     September in Watkinsville, Ga. An inflorescence is showy for about     two weeks, and individual flowers last about one day and are     self-cleaning. Flowers are lightly fragrant.     -   -   Inflorescence type.—panicle. Panicle contains between 50 to             150 buds or flowers. Inflorescence length: about 12 cm.             Inflorescence width: about 10 cm.         -   Peduncle.—about 8.6 cm in length, about 2 mm in diameter,             color is 183A, and no pubescence.         -   Individual flowers.—about 3 cm in height and 3 cm in             diameter.         -   Flower buds.—Length: about 6 mm; Diameter: about 5 mm;             Color: 181C. Unopened flower buds are globose with six             distinct lines of dehiscence where they split to reveal the             flower petals.         -   Sepals.—Arrangement/quantity: single whorl of six fused             sepals. Length about 10 mm. Width: about 5 mm. Shape:             elliptical. Apex: acute. Margin: entire. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: smooth, glabrous. Color when opening, upper             surface: 183A. When opening lower surface: N44A. Fully             opened, upper surface: 183A. Fully opened, lower surface:             N44A.         -   Pedicels.—about 8 mm in length, 1 mm in diameter, 183A in             color, and no pubescence.         -   Calyx.—about 8 mm in length, about 1 cm in diameter, 183A in             color on both surfaces, and no pubescence. -   Petals:     -   -   Arrangement/appearance.—usually 6 or 7 per flower.         -   Petal length.—about 1.5 cm.         -   Petal width.—about 1.3 cm.         -   Petal shape.—fan-shaped. Petal apex: ruffled, rounded. Petal             base: sagittate. Petal margin: undulate. Petal texture             (upper and lower surfaces): glabrous.         -   Petal color.—upper and lower surfaces are 61 C. -   Stamens:     -   -   Quantity/arrangement.—About 25 to 30 stamens clustered in             the center, about 1.5 cm long, filament color is N155A, and             anther color is 7A. The stamens are not pubescent. Pollen:             produced in moderate quantities and is 7A in color. -   Pistils:     -   -   Quantity.—One superior pistil per flower. Pubescence: none.             Pistil length: about 1.8 cm in length. Stigma shape: round,             about 1 mm in diameter. Stigma color: 189A. Style color: 45C             and about 1.5 cm in length. Ovary color: 2C and about 2 mm             in diameter. -   Fruit:     -   -   Type/appearance.—six-valved, dehiscent, broad ellipsoidal             capsule. Length: about 8 mm. Diameter: about 7 mm. Immature             color: 144C. Mature color: 200C. Each capsule contains many             seeds that are about 5 mm long, 3 mm wide, and 200C in             color. -   Plant hardiness:     -   -   Plant hardiness.—USDA Hardiness Zone Map (2012): Zone 6 to             9. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the claimed Lagerstroemia variety     grown in field and container trials have exhibited high resistance     to powdery mildew and Cercospora leaf spot. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Lagerstroemia plant named ‘PIILAG-VIII’, as illustrated and described herein. 